Dean Mark Grady Credits Unprecedented Rise to Tier One to Deliberate, Sustained Institutional Improvements
ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE via COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--Mar 28, 2001--Today`s annual ranking of law schools published by U.S. News and World Report confirmed what the students, faculty, administration and supporters of the George Mason University School of Law already believed.
Their young school, ranked in the First Tier, is among the best in the nation.
U.S. News has ranked accredited law schools since 1993, using a combination of survey results and statistical data to rate each school.
Tier One schools, which include such institutions as Harvard, Yale, Virginia and Duke, are ranked according to a score that takes into account the selectivity of the school`s admissions, the resources spent on instruction, the reputation of the program nationally, and a number of other, similar factors.
Schools in tiers two through four are grouped alphabetically. U.S. News rankings are viewed by the legal community as the most important single measure of institutional excellence.
''Since joining the George Mason University School of Law faculty as dean in 1997 I have witnessed first hand our growth in national stature and respect because of our programs, our faculty, our students, and our many supporters in the community,'' said Dean Mark F. Grady. ''The recognition we have achieved today is a credit to the dedication of everyone at the law school. As the youngest law school with a Tier One ranking we are poised to reach even greater academic excellence and solidify our standing as one of the best law schools in the nation.
''No single person or program is solely responsible for our success today,'' continued Grady. ''Rather our rise to the First Tier after a scant 20 years in operation represents a concerted effort by many to create and sustain a strong, innovative law school in the heart of Northern Virginia`s technology community.
''I look first to our student body - this year`s first year class the strongest yet; to our nationally recognized programs in law and economics, intellectual property and technology law; to our award-winning faculty and supportive Board of Visitors. We have benefited from the friendship of our governor, Jim Gilmore, as well as from help from the House of Delegates, George Mason President Alan Merten, and the Virginia Congressional delegation, including Senators John Warner and George Allen and Congressmen Tom Davis, Jim Moran and Frank Wolf. All deserve to share in the credit for this accomplishment.
''This is a good time to remember the courage and vision of our founders, including our first dean, John Wesley Brabner-Smith, and the four individuals who organized the law school`s merger with George Mason University: Joe L. Albritton, John T. Hazel, Sen. Omer Hirst, and Dean Ralph Norvell. We will always be grateful for their work and sacrifice.
''It is this collective support and encouragement over the years that has allowed us to achieve significant improvements in our facility, faculty, and programs, leading to the national recognition we received today,'' Grady concluded.
George Mason University School of Law joins its sister institutions, the College of William and Mary and the University of Virginia, in the U.S. News and World Report top tier. Only one other state - California - has as many as three First Tier law schools as part of its public education system. ''That Virginia sees fit to support three First Tier law schools is a tribute to the importance the citizens and elected officials in the Commonwealth place on higher education,'' Grady said. ''We are able to offer a tremendous value for Virginia residents who want excellence in professional education,'' Grady noted. Mason`s in-state tuition is less than $8,000 a year, a fraction of the charges at other D.C. area law schools.
About George Mason University School of Law
Located just two miles from downtown Washington, D.C., in the heart of the fast-growing high-tech business region of Northern Virginia, George Mason University School of Law offers its students unparalleled opportunities and resources including outstanding legal instruction, guest lectures by top law and policy leaders, and year-round employment opportunities with government and hundreds of private law firms.
A fact sheet on the law school is attached. For more information visit www.gmu.edu or call Anne M. Richard, Assistant Dean and Director of Admissions, at 703/993-8005.
George Mason University School of Law At the Forefront of Innovation
Established in 1979 by authority of the Virginia General Assembly, this spring George Mason University School of Law became the youngest law school to achieve Tier One status in this year`s U.S. News and World Report annual law school rankings.
Specialties
* Dispute Resolution Center - Last year the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR), the National Mediation Board (NMB) and the George Mason University School of Law agreed to collaborate through this Center to promote the advanced study of law and the dispute resolution process. Currently the Center is giving priority to issues associated with labor-management disputes in the airline and railroad industries.
* Law and Economics Center - Founded in 1974, the Law and Economics Center is a vital component to the school, having developed an international reputation for its outstanding educational institutes, seminars and conferences for federal judges.
* Law and Psychiatry Center - This Center, established in 1999, addresses the growing tragedies of incarceration, violence, homelessness and suicide occurring due to untreated severe mental illness. The Center has a national focus and brings together legal and psychiatric experts to search for innovations in law and government policy dealing with mental health issues.
* The Tech Center - National Center for Technology and Law - Established in 1999, the Tech Center seeks to bridge the gap between rapidly changing technologies and the laws that frequently hold them back by serving as a neutral forum in which business and government leaders can debate and develop technology policy proposals.
Faculty
According to University of Texas Professor Brian Leiter`s ''Measuring the Academic Distinction of Law Faculties,'' George Mason University School of Law boasts a top tier law faculty - 17th in article production and 26th in overall productivity.
Arlington, Virginia Location
The needs of the global high-tech industries that Northern Virginia calls home mesh particularly well with Mason`s track programs in international business law, regulatory law, technology law and intellectual property law. Access to these companies translates to significantly enhanced opportunities for internships, externships and permanent employment.
Facts and Figures
Fall 2000 Statistics
Full-Time J.D. Enrollment - 350
Part-Time J.D. Enrollment - 344
Number of full time applicants - 1,540
Number accepted - 365
Number enrolled - 110
Undergrad median GPA - 3.30
Median LSAT scores - 159.0
Academics
Student/Faculty ratio - 15.5
Total titles in library - 166,216
Total volumes in library - 391,771
Top state for first-time bar exam - VA
Bar passage rate - 72%
Cost
In-state tuition - $7,938
Out-of-state tuition - $18,452
Room and board - $9,812
Books - $750
Miscellaneous expenses - $4,403
Student Body
Percent male/female - 58/42
Percent minority - 10%
Career Prospects (Class of 1999)
Percent employed after nine months - 94%
Employed in academia - 3.8%
Employed in business/industry (legal) - 9.4%
Employed in business/industry (non-legal) - 11.3%
Employed in government - 20.2%
Employed in judicial clerkship - 9.9%
Employed in law firms - 44.6%
Employed in public interest - .9%
Starting salary, private sector (25/75) - $55,000 - $95,000)
Median starting salary, private sector - $80,000
Median starting salary, public service - $40,000
Employed in state - 44.1%
GMU School of Law - 703/993-8000
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